Be perfect as your Father is Perfect

Today was the seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The Scriptures for this week were about holiness.  Leviticus 19:1 was a call to holiness for the Jews in exile in Babylon.  In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul condemned factionalism by reminding the people that they are temples of the Holy Spirit and that all are in Christ rather than part of the flock of whomever converted them.  In Matthew 5, our Lord commands that we love our enemies, since even tax collectors love their own kin.  Our love must be perfect, as the Father's love is perfect.  That is holiness.

Jesus is clearly calling for us to love perfectly rather than behaving perfectly.  Not sinning is simply self preservation.  We are called to more than that.  As hard as it sounds, we are not allowed to hate the Alt Right just as they are not allowed to hate gay marrieds or couples who do not conform to traditional marriage customs.  As Christ calls us to love perfectly (especially the poor), we cannot be a Christian nation without accepting those we disapprove of.  Hating gangsta teens who feel empowered by anti-cop rap video is not allowed, nor is hating the cops who abuse them.

Hating people who need public assistance or who are disabled - or failing to provide for them if such assistance is their only income is particularly unholy.  Christ is found in these people, so give them fresh bread and meat rather than the expired stuff.  While it is convenient to donate food rather than toss it, it is holy to select a portion of the new stuff, just as Abel gave from his first fruits rather than the remainder.  Again, if we want to claim being a Christian nation, or be perfect as the Father is perfect, we must take care of this.